Combination bottle closure and liquid dispenser



June 1940' J. LE R. CAMPBELL, JR.. ET AL 2,204,471

COMBINATION BOTTLE CLOSURE AND LIQUID DISPENSER Filed April 24, 1939 FIGURE 2 'F/GUPE 3 [NVE/VTOES Patented June 11, 1940 UNITED STATES COMBINATION BOTTLE CLOSURE AND LIQUID DISPENSER, I

James Le Campbell, Jr., and Hugh Manson Dorsey, Jr., Atlanta, Ga.

Application April 24, 1939, Serial No. 269,656

3 Claims.

Our invention relates to improvements in bottle closures. Its object is to incorporate in a bottle closure a liquid dispensing device which will de-. liver a desired quantity or dosage of the liquid contents of a bottle and which will be sealed inside the bottle when the bottle closure is in place on the bottle neck and not in use as a dispenser. It is. intended to eliminate the necessity of using an outside measure to obtain a desireddosage or quantity from the liquid contents the valve opening into the measuring chamber;

and Fig. 4 is an external View of the dispensing unit disengaged from the bottle closure.

Similar numerals refer to 25 throughout the several views.

Our invention may be made of glass, plastic, or any other suitable material. It consists of a cylinder l with a flange 2 at its upper end, and its lower end tapered to a hole 3 as shown in Fig. 30 4. A partition '4 with a central hole 5,.having a spherical seat for a ball 6, is positioned somewhat below the flanged end of cylinder I dividing it into two chambers, chamber 1 below this partition being of such size as to hold a desired volume 35 of liquid. Holes 8 in the cylinder walls open from the upper chamber and are tangential with the upper surface of partition 4. Ball 6 seats on hole 5 inside the upper chamber'of cylinder l. Flange 2 fastens securely into threaded bottle cap 9 40 which screws onto bottle neck I0. Cylinder I then extends down inside bottle neck II], as shown in'Fig. 2, leaving space H between the cylinder and bottle neck. Leakage from the bottle is prevented by a washer l2 above, and a washer I3 45 below flange 2.

To deliver the desired dose or measurement from the bottle it is inverted. Ball 6 thereupon drops away from hole 5 and the liquid in the bottle fiows thru holes 8 in the cylinder walls and 50 hole 5, now open, into chamber 1. The air displaced from chamber 1 by the liquid escapes thru hole 3. When chamber 1 is completely filled the 7 bottle is returned to an upright position, whereupon ball 6 seats on hole 5, making an airtight 5 closure, and the liquid contents of chamber 1 are held suspended. Excess liquid caught above the valve closure drains back into the bottle thru similar parts holes 8. Bottle cap 9, with thedesired quantity of liquid held in chamber 7 by closure of the air valve, is then removed fromjthe bottle neck, held over a glass and tilted to such an angle as to cause ball 6 to again drop away from hole 5, 5 thereby opening the valve and permitting the contents of chamber 1 to empty into the glass held below thru hole 3, air at the same time flowing into chamber 7 thru holes 8 and 5. In operating the dispenser care should be taken not to tilt the 10 cap to such an angle as to open the ball valve and deliver the liquid prematurely.

In the unit described above the dispenser is a fixture attached to and detachable from a threaded bottle cap, however, it is. not our intention to restrict our invention to this design alone. The basic invention described may be made as a part of the bottle cap itself, so as not to be detachable from it, or it may be made as a part of, or an attachment to, an ordinary bottle stopper or any other type of. bottle closure. In each instance the basic invention is the same and it is our intention to include these alternate designs within this specification. I

Having thus described our invention, we claim: 1. A combination container closure and liquid measuring and dispensing device, comprising a container closure carrying on its under face a downwardly extending tube open at its lower extremity, an apertured horizontal partition in such tube making upper and lower chambers therein,

' a hole in the tube wall of the-upper chamber, and

means in the upper chamber for opening and closing theaperture in the partition by tilting the device. v

2. A liquid measuring and dispensing device for attachment to a container closure, comprising a vertical tube with means. at one end for attachment toa container closure, an opening at the opposite end, an apertured horizontal partition 40 in the tube making an upper and lower chamber therein, a hole in the tube wall of the upper I chamber, and means in the upper chamber for opening and closing the aperture in the partition by tilting the device.

3. A liquid measuring and dispensing device for attachment to a container closure, comprising a vertical tube with means at one end for attach ment to a. container closure, an opening at the opposite end, an apertured horizontal partition in the tube'making an upper and lower chamber therein, a hole in the wall of the upper chamber, and a free ball in the upper chamber for closing and opening the aperture in the partition'by tilting the device. 7 55 JAMES LE ROY CAMPBELL, JR.

HUGH MANSON DORSEY, JR, 

